10 Reasons Why Thanksgiving is the Best Holiday

Ever since I was a little kid I have always loved Thanksgiving. I remember how excited I used to get on the Wednesday night before, helping my mom prepare the stuffing, and cleaning off the good dishes and crystal glasses.

One of my other jobs back then was digging out our old Westinghouse turkey roaster which had a fire-hazard of an electric plug held together by 30 years worth of black electrical tape. I think my brother still has that old thing which proves they don’t make em like they used to.

The next day our grandparents would come over early to help out and then play cards with my parents all afternoon. The smell of turkey roasting always reminded me of them and now reminds me of my mom as well.

Thanksgiving is also the kickoff of the holiday season, which is always exciting and probably why I’ve held this particular holiday as one of my favorites and pretty sure I always will.

To honor the day and the event, I have finally narrowed down my top 10 reasons why Thanksgiving is the best holiday of them all. Here goes:

Short work-week! Nuff said.

Fall is my favorite time of year and Thanksgiving is the culminating event.

Football anyone? My family plays an annual game every Friday after Thanksgiving, but there is plenty of real football to watch this weekend as well-Go Blue!

Any holiday that actually makes it ok to eat too much is good by me!

First pumpkin pie of the season-don’t forget the cool whip.

The only shopping involved is a longer than usual trip to the grocery store.

No Gift giving necessary.

Family-Friends-and not a lot of pressure to do too much.

Leftovers in the fridge

Taking the time to appreciate and give thanks for everything you have in your life is always a good thing.

Please post your reasons why Thanksgiving is a special holiday for you, and make sure to share the day with those that your are thankful to have in your life!

Thoughts for the week:

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Marcel Proust

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” John F. Kennedy

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey

“Some people grumble that roses have thorns; I am grateful that thorns have roses.” Alphonse Karr

8 Comments On “10 Reasons Why Thanksgiving is the Best Holiday”

I love the sound of all the little kids (which are cousins and second cousins to each other) laughing and playing in the basement. While i got caught up on what is going on with everyone in the family.

Hi Tim, your posts always inspire me. I have to agree with your top 10, you hit it spot on. A few years ago my former supervisor was in the U.S. from Australia celebrating his family’s first Thanksgiving and he asked me what it was all about. I chuckled a little because if you watch television it seems that Thanksgiving is all about finding the best deal at the store these days but I sat down and told him what I thought it was meant to be. Separate from the historical nature of the holiday, to me, Thanksgiving is meant to be a moment when we let life slow down and we spend real quality time with family and friends. It is a time of reflection and gratitude which we often don’t allow ourselves to have.

I shared a quote that I think sums up what Thanksgiving should be with a group of our employees who will be feeding the Thanksgiving meal to probably close to 300 people who are hungry in Milwaukee this weekend.

“Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.” W.J. Cameron

May you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving and thank you for the work you do to keep us inspired and motivated to always strive for our best, even when it gets challenging.